THE Highlanders' first venture into Europe ended at the first hurdle after they failed to score and turn around the tie in Romania.

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JOHN HUGHES vowed that Inverness Caley Thistle would go out swinging in a desperate bid to keep their Euro dream alive.

But the Highlanders couldn’t land the knockout blow in Romania as their first venture into the continent ended at the first hurdle.

Hughes was determined that if his side were to suffer an early exit at the hands of Astra that they would go out fighting until the end.

They certainly did that but ultimately their brave bid still ended in disappointment as they just couldn’t make the breakthrough in a goalless draw.

And in the end it was Constantin Budescu’s free kick in the first leg that cost them with his strike all that separated the sides after 180 minutes.

Caley Thistle had chances to level the tie in the Marin Anastasovici Stadium where Celtic were also held to a draw on Europa League duty last season.

Aaron Doran’s close range header and Ryan Christie’s shot from distance which was brilliantly saved late in the first half gave the visiting fans real hope.

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Inverness manager John Hughes

But that was about as close as they came with the impressive 500-strong travelling supporters forced to make a disappointing long journey home.

They still saluted their heroes at full-time in Giurgiu and remain proud of the achievement of their heroes in qualifying for Europe for the first time in the club’s history.

The fans had spent the build-up to the match in blazing temperatures touching almost 40 degrees in Bucharest but kick had been pushed back to 9pm local time.

And luckily for the visitors the sun went down just before the match got underway and that was a big factor as Caley had toiled in the heat during training on the eve of the game.

Despite trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Astra’s domestic form gave the Highlanders cause for optimism with the Romanians rattled by a 5-1 thrashing in the league at the weekend.

Boss Marius Sumudica described that hammering at the hands of ASA Targa Mures on this very ground as his worst result of his nine years in management.

Off the park there have been rumours of disharmony in the squad and the mood wasn’t helped when the club accepted bids from Steaua Bucharest for star men Denis Alibec and William De Amorim on the eve of the match..

With Alibec injured, Brazilian De Amorim - who struck the post late on in the first leg - was the only one of the pair who started while Hughes made one change from the match in the Highlands with David Raven coming in and Ross Draper dropping to the bench.

It was a cagey start with Astra making Caley Thistle work hard for possession but the visitors did have a chance when Danny Williams was fouled but Greg Tansey fired the free kick well wide of target from a good position.

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Aaron Doran is chopped down by Takayuki Seto

The home side were quite content to sit in knowing the onus was on Caley Thistle to find the net and the Highlanders struggled in the first half to cause the Romanians any real danger.

Hughes stressed the importance of staying in the tie and losing a goal at the other end would almost certainly have killed it but Fon Williams had little to do between the sticks for the Highlanders.

His opposite number Silviu Lung had to be on his toes late in the first half when Hughes watched his side put together a good move in one of the few ocasions where they got in behind Astra.

Raven fed Aaron Doran down the left and he cut in before he fizzed a low ball across the six-yard box intended for Lopez but the Astra keeper just managed to beat the Spaniard to it.

The game lacked any real edge to it until Caley Thistle were jeered by the home fans for keeping possession from the throw in after the ball had been booted out of play to allow treatment for Lung.

That angered the Astra players and Gary Warren and Gabriel Enache were soon involved in some afters which led to both being spoken to by referee Artyom Kuchin who strangely didn’t stop play for a water break in the first half despite a request from the visitors.

Th Highlanders then ended the opening 45 minutes strongly with two great chances, the first when Doran had a glorious chance from close range after Christie flicked on Josh Meekings throw-in but his header was saved.

And then it was Christie himself who almost grabbed the vital opener on the stroke of half time after a neat one-two with Greg Tansey and he unleashed a shot from distance which Lung brilliantly tipped over.

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Aaron Doran has his head in his hands as the final whistle sounds in Romania

But last year’s Young Player of the Year was careless in possession early in the second half and if there is one man you don’t want to lose the ball to in the Astra team then it’s Constantin Budescu whose free-kick separated the sides in the first half.

And the £2 million-rated Romanian playmaker had time and space to get his shot away but luckily Owain Fon Williams, who could have done better with the free-kick in the first leg, was able to push it away to safety.

Fon Williams was again called into action with a 65th minute save to deny Junior Morais as the game started to open a bit and Doran had another effort with a shot into the ground but Lung held onto it in the end.

Christie had a penalty shout when he was crowded out by three Astra defenders but it would have been soft and at the other end there was a huge sigh of releif when Amorim’s effort went a whisker past the post before Budescu passed up a great chance with four minutes left.

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